MOA the green balm

The cold weather is starting to set in, yay. This means more dry patches, EVERYWHERE. Today i felt that i needed to share my all time favourite balm with you guys just in case you are suffering from gross little dry patches like me.

I love the textures of balms, i always feel like they're doing something because the texture is so thick and luxurious. I usually find with moisturisers that are really hydrating comes spots dotted around my forehead- not with this miracle balm! It has some tea tree in it which hydrates whilst fighting spots.

It's a multi-use product, some of the ways i use it:

• To soften/hydrate my cuticles
• On spots- the tea tree reduces the redness
• On your feet (tip: slather on the soles of your feet and pop some socks on before you go to bed and wake up with smooth feet)
• As a cleanser (Use like the Emma Hardie cleaning balm (here) and just rub into palm until an oil is formed, rub onto face then wipe off with hot flannel)

I know what you're thinking. An amazing product which has amazing effects? I bet it has an amazingly high price tag to go with it... NOPE! It retails for £4.50-£9 which compared to most face balms/cleansing balms is an absolute bargain. I cannot fault this product or recommend it enough! Buy 50ml for £9 (here) or the 15ml for £4.50 (here)

Balance me moisture-rich face cream

I'm in constant conflict when it comes to face creams. My face is extremely dry so needs heavy duty moisturisers which do the job well. Whilst there are plenty of face creams that do this i hadn't been able to find one that didn't break me out concurrently. When the lovely people at balance me sent me this cream i was a little worried because of my previous experiences with face creams. I've been using this for a few weeks now and i think i may be in love.

From the moment i applied the moisture-rich face cream* my skin appeared brighter and more hydrated. As a result my skin looks much healthier. My favourite part about this cream is whilst it is a heavy duty cream, it doesn't feel like it at all. The cream is thick upon application but sinks in almost immediately and leave no greasy residue.

The product itself has a gorgeous subtle scent created through a mix of shea butter with essential oils such as rosehip and kukui oils.

Overall, i can't recommend this product enough. Both for people with dry skin and oily. As the product sinks in immediately it shouldn't cause any problems for people with oily skin. It is available for £24 with free delivery worldwide on look fantastic (here).

L'Occitane Almond Milk concentrate

I use body moisturisers religiously. I suffer from really dry skin and am constantly searching for a rich body moisturiser that doesn't feel heavy/greasy upon application.

I picked up L'Occitane's "amande milk concentrate" purely because of the smell but was delighted to find that not only did it smell great but was also really moisturising and lightweight. After trying the shower oil, also from the amande range, i was convinced that nothing could top it (review here). I might have been wrong.

The product has a delicate sweet almond scent. The almond oils infused in the product are responsible for making your skin hydrated and the almond milk for making your skin feel silky to the touch.

The product has a consistency that lies somewhere between a cream and a gel.

I've been using the product in conjunction with my shower oil and oh my. The smell. The feel. Everything about it is heaven sent. It does come with a bit of a hefty price tag but, to me, it's worth every penny. Buy for £35 (here)

Origins face masks

Origins is one of the most established and best brands for skincare. A majority of their products are highly commended and rightly so. After reading so many rave reviews online i had to get my paws on the three most popular masks and having testing them out for a little over two months i thought i'd share my thoughts.

Origins Drink Up mask £20 (buy here)

Having dry skin this product suits me extremely well. It has a cream, almost gel-like, formula which is easy to distribute evenly around the face so you only need the tiniest amount to cover your face and neck resulting in the regular 100ml tubes lasting a while. (I've had mine since early january, use a it twice a week and reckon i've only used a quarter of the tube.) The mask is extremely rich and tackles those nasty dry patches during those cold months. A must-have for all those with dry skin.

Origins Clear Improvement £20 (buy here)

Probably my favourite face mask out of the three, don't get me wrong i'm a big fan of all of them but this one is something special. During the colder months my skin suffers terribly, it gets dry and boy, does it breakout! I tried this at a time when i was particularly spotty, it did nothing for the spots already there but as the spots there began to fade over time i noticed no fresh ones were arising- what is this witchcraft?! The only thing i had changed in my routine was my mask and ever since i have used it religiously. Although this mask is designed for oily skin it works wonders on my dry skin, i just slather on some face cream half an hour after using it. If you were to buy just one of the masks out of the three i would recommend this one the most, especially if you suffer from active breakouts or congested pores.

Origins Out of Trouble £20 (buy here)

This mask is designed for oily skins that often have breakouts so i wasn't sure how much use i'd get out of this as my skin isn't particularly oily or spotty. I had a breakout yesterday and decided to use this, it did wonders. My spots turned from being red, painful and greasy to less red, pain free and not greasy. It says on the tube it takes 10 minutes, for me i found i noticed a difference a few hours after i put the mask on. After using the mask on my whole face i reapplied the product directly onto my spots and left them for an hour to dry them out. I found the product worked best on the red, painful spots oppose to the smaller non painful spots. Highly recommend this for people with oily skin and/or people who have regular breakouts.

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

I adore having silky smooth skin but i despise having to use product after product to get my skin to that stage, so when i discovered L'Occitane's shower oil it quickly became one of my favourite products.

It has a very runny consistency which doesn't feel particularly luxurious at first but the results from using it are amazing. When the oil meets water it begins to foam up which makes it ideal for shaving as the foam allows for a close shave and the product is really hydrating.

The product has a gorgeous almond scent which isn't overpowering but lasts on the skin for a solid few hours. You only need a tiny amount for each use so the product lasts a while.

I wouldn't recommend this if you already have oily skin, don't get me wrong it will still be a good product but it won't have any "miracle" affects on your skin. However, if on the other hand you do have dry/normal skin, buy it! It keeps your skin moisturised for hours, gets rid of all those pesky dry bits and smells delicious. Although it's a little on the pricy side the end result this product brings makes the purchase completely justifiable. For people with dry/normal skin i cannot recommend this enough.
http://www.asos.com/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2900180
http://www.asos.com/Marie-Meili/Marie-Meili-Genevieve-Control-Slip-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2409389&WT.ac=rec_viewed
Buy for £17.50 (here)